Friday, 19 October 2018

Twelve Angels Weeping

‘Every light casts a shadow. And every story
needs a villain.’ During the Doctor’s travels to the limits of time and space
in the TARDIS – a time machine that is ‘bright and blue and shining in the grim
darkness’ – the renegade Time Lord has encountered a slew of adversaries. From
the reptilian Silurians and Ice Warriors to the rhino-like Judoon, each race proudly
displays its unique brand of brutality like a badge of honour.

Teen fans of the long-running television show Doctor Who will enjoy sinking their
teeth into this collection of twelve thrilling tales. In a refreshing twist, each
story focuses on a classic villain (rather than the Doctor) and expertly augments
the expanded universe of the franchise. While it is helpful to be aware of the
characters and the various guises of the Doctor when reading the stories, it is
not essential – sci-fi buffs with no prior knowledge of the show will quickly
become engrossed in the futuristic action.

Dave Rudden immerses himself brilliantly into
the vast world of Doctor Who, intriguing
readers with a Cyberman who sees a ghost girl; the origin of Strax the Sontaran,
who later works alongside the Doctor; and a Zygon plan to turn a glorious glass
city into shards that will grind ‘into the meat of the universe’. Humour and
horror drip from the pages in equal measure, surprisingly tempered with a lot of
heart. With a dozen battles between light and dark to savour, this is one book
that teenagers won’t want to ‘Exterminate!’